Blood and Guile
by FaeryLilium98
Summary: There is another monster hidden in the FAYZ, hidden from the Gaiaphage and Little Pete. A select few know of this creature's existence, and as they try to survive the FAYZ, they must also stop the beast rising. OCs, Quinn and Drake Merwin predominantly.
1. Gone

**Chapter 1**

"Aya, where are you?" a cold voice called. Aya Yukimura was hiding underneath the desk. She didn't know where her friends were, and she needed them. She was left alone against Coates' biggest psychopath.

"Aya," he called yet again. Aya started to cry. She didn't know what would happen when he found her. If Felicity had been there, she could have helped. But she was completely alone, and Aya always needed help in the end. She saw his legs appear next to the desk. She closed her eyes. She knew he would find her soon.

"There you are."

_Earlier that day_

Damien Small was in bed sick. The doctors still had no idea what it was, and he was tired of being so weak. He wasn't able to walk very far without assistance. He even had a zimmer frame, which he found hilarious.

He heard a knock at the door. He couldn't answer it himself, so he waited for his mother to do it. After a few minutes, however, the door still hadn't been answered. Damien did the only thing he could think of in his weak state. He dragged himself out of bed and, using the wall for balance, hauled himself to the door. His friend, Adam, was outside.

"Hey, dude," Adam said.

"What are you doing here?" was his friend's reply.

"All the adults are gone."

"If you say so." Damien turned around and went back inside. Adam followed him. There wasn't really much in Damien's house. There was a table, a couple chairs and a microwave, and that was everything to be found downstairs. If you went to the second floor, there were two bedrooms with a single bed in them each. It was also very dark; they haven't been able to pay the electricity bills for seven months now.

"What do you want?" Damien asked after he slumped himself into one of the chairs.

"I don't know. What should we do?" Adam was pacing, which was never a good sign. "We could go to the bank; I don't think anyone's gone there yet."

"Why?"

"Why not? The adults are gone. We need to use this situation to our advantage." If the adults were actually gone, which Damien doubted, then the last thing they should do is rob a bank.

"No, Adam, we should go to the plaza."

"Why?"

"Because that's where everyone else will be going."

"But what about the bank?"

"Adam, I can barely walk. We are _not_ robbing a bank."

"Fine, we'll go to the stupid plaza..." Adam helped Damien to his feet and helped him walk out the door. It took longer than it should have for them to reach their destination. Damien had to stop them twice so he didn't collapse, and he wasn't a fast walker in the best of times. When they reached the plaza, they saw one of the buildings in flames. Adam dropped Damien to the floor and stared at it in amazement.

"Who's the little pyro who started the fire?" he asked gleefully. When he heard the girl inside he stopped smiling. A boy had run up to the front of the crowd and started ordering kids around. Damien didn't really hear what he was saying till he told him to follow some Mexican guy to get the fire-hoses.

"Nah, I'm good," he replied. He kind of wanted to help, but using one of the fire-hoses was just laughable in his present state. Adam volunteered himself instead. Damien barely noticed when the leader guy ran into the building. He also didn't notice the fire being put out. He fell unconscious not long after Adam returned.

xxXXxx

Felicity Lane was in English. They were reading An Inspector Calls, a play about a suicide case. They were either so into the story or so deep within their daydream that none of them noticed the teacher had disappeared. It wasn't until the girl reading Sybil Birling's part didn't say anything did people notice something was wrong.

Not that anyone saw it as bad. Most people were just glad they wouldn't be reading any more of the play. Some were worried though. Felicity was one of them, but her 'friend', Drake Merwin, was right next to her. She couldn't appear weak to anyone at her school, especially not to Drake Merwin. That was basically a death wish. So instead Felicity coined her only defence: acting the psychopath.

"C'mon, Felicity," Drake said, standing up. There was a glint in his eyes that she didn't trust, but she followed anyway. Outside, other students had left their classrooms. Felicity didn't hesitate. Snapping her fingers towards their classroom, she ordered a couple of the students to go back to their seats. All the students in the corridor did what she said.

"So now what, Drake?" Felicity asked. He grinned in that way he has.

"We have complete control of the school." He didn't need to say more than that. However, before they could take advantage of their situation, Caine and Diana appeared.

"Felicity, Drake, find everyone and bring them to the dining hall," Caine ordered. This is the last thing Felicity wanted to do, but she didn't really have a choice. Neither did Drake, so they had to do what Caine told them to do.

Felicity started to complain. "This is just effort. Why can't Caine and Diana do this?"

"We could make them," Drake replied, grinning at the idea. At this point they were passing the principal's office.

"No, I have another idea." While Drake called all their 'friends' to the dining hall using the intercom, Felicity went to her room. She had to change out of her horrible school uniform. She never wore anything decorative. Normally it was jeans, a plain t-shirt and a hoodie. After she was done, she walked down to the dining hall. Everyone was already there and waiting for her.

"About time," Drake muttered. Felicity just shrugged.

"Now we're all here," Caine started, glaring pointedly at Felicity, "I can explain why I've called you all here." Felicity just stopped listening straight away. She knew she should probably have been paying attention, but she didn't particularly want to know what Caine had planned. Phrases like "Everyone 15 and over have disappeared," and "Now is the best time to begin our plan," permeated her brain. This last sentence made Felicity listen.

"Right now," he said, "Perdido Beach is in the same state as our school. The kids are alone with no one to guide them. If we leave in the next couple of days we will easily be able to establish leadership over them." Looking around, Felicity noticed the only people certain about this plan were a couple bullies and Drake. Even Diana didn't look like she fully supported the idea. So she did what she felt she should do - stick up for Caine.

She wanted to say, "He's right. In a crisis we should stick together. We need to make amends. However, I think we'll need to give a couple town kids power." Instead, she simply said, "That works." At this, a lot of weaker students agreed to the idea, as well as the rest of the bullies. There were some people, still, who didn't agree. Diana, for example.

With most of the crowd against Caine's plan, the idea was put on hold. That night, after the unsupportive went to bed, Caine brought together everyone who wanted to work with him, plus Diana. Felicity didn't want to be there. In all honesty, she didn't agree with Caine's plan. So when Drake suggested the idea of tying everyone up, which was consented to, she instantly dropped her act. That was going too far.

"Are you all insane?" she said, trying to persuade them otherwise, "That's a terrible idea. It's taking away their free will. You can't do that."

"She's right," Diana seconded. "Caine, if you make enemies of all those kids you'll end up regretting it." Caine looked swayed by her argument until Drake piped up.

"I thought you'd enjoy this," Drake said suspiciously. Caine raised his suspicions at the same time, which left one option for Felicity.

"You know what?" she said, "I'm leaving. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone in town what you're planning to do." She tried to seem nonchalant; weakness was still a disadvantage. She wasn't sure she managed after she'd left. She was a little worried about her roommate, Aya, but she knew the girl would be OK. She normally was. Though she was still scared for the pupils in there that wouldn't help Caine even if he held a gun to their heads.


	2. Nightmare

**Chapter 2**

Damien and Adam were still in the plaza when the sun was setting, even though Adam had expressed a desire to go home. Damien didn't want to move, it was just too much effort. Instead he sat with his back against one of the benches. He was looking at a girl he'd never seen before. It was entirely possible that she'd arrived at Perdido Beach in the past year he'd been ill, but there was also the possibility she was a student at Coates Academy. She was entirely alone, but she was also in casual clothes and holding a cat in her arms. Suddenly, the cat leapt out of her arms and walked over to a garden. The girl followed. Damien saw her face light up in delight as she picked up a snow white rabbit.

_Well,_ Damien thought, _She can't be a Coates kid. No one from that school would act like that._ For some unfathomable reason, he decided to ask Adam who she was.

"I dunno, some kid passing through, probably," was his reply, "Why?" A grin had spread across his face, and Damien knew he expected the worst.

"No reason. I should probably get home. Before it gets too dark, you know?" Damien got up shakily, while Adam started laughing.

"If you say so, dude." It took them longer to get back to Damien's empty house than it took them to get to the plaza. Damien was exhausted, and needed to get to bed. By the time they'd reached the front door, the sun had set proper and the street lamps were lighting their way. Adam left him at the door and Damien dragged himself up to his room. He wasn't sure why he'd come here. Since all the adults were gone he could have gone to a house with furniture and electricity, instead of his shell of a house. He didn't really care now. All he cared about was rest.

That night he had what could only be described as a nightmare. He was in a forest next to a large, translucent wall. The girl he'd been looking at earlier was holding him upright. On the other side of the wall was a growing black beast. It was standing on its hind legs, its bloodshot yellow eyes glaring at them. It appeared to be made of shadows, apart from its silver claws, poised to kill. And it laughed an insane, an inhuman, laugh. And it stepped heavily through the barrier.

Damien tried to wake up, but he couldn't. In his dream he tried to escape, but he couldn't walk. He was trapped there, the girl in his arms, as the beast advanced. But before long the girl disappeared. She'd gone and left him alone with the monster and it's very sharp teeth.

xxXXxx

Adam got up early that morning. He'd had a bad dream, though he couldn't remember what it was about. It might have had something to do with shadows, though it was all a blur. It probably had something to do with what happened the day before. Anyway, it wasn't important. After he'd gotten dressed and showered, he meandered over to Damien's. He'd looked tired when he'd left, so he wanted to check he was OK.

When Adam knocked on the door there was no answer. It was then that he checked his watch. 7:30. His friend probably wouldn't be awake for another couple of hours. Even so, Adam felt that he should get in. He was about to get the spare key before he remembered that Damien's family had to melt it down and sell it. Adam tried the door and found it open.

On entrance, Adam didn't see his friend lying unconscious on the floor, which was good news. He went upstairs quietly. He didn't like going upstairs at Damien's house. He knew why: just after Damien fell ill he spent a lot of time keeping him company. They couldn't do much more than talk, but Adam didn't want to be seen as 'that kid who was planning to blow up the school' again. So he'd visited every day after school. But as time passed Damien didn't get better. His mother had to sell everything they owned to pay for her son's treatment. In the end they couldn't pay for electricity anymore, so his mother stole some from next door to cook their food. That was probably why they lost so much - Damien's mother would never lower herself as to ask for other people's help, or accept it. As time passed, their house became more and more barren. Because of this, Adam didn't like to see Damien's room; he preferred to pretend it was the same as it used to be. However, right now it was inevitable.

"Damien," he said. Damien didn't move.

"Hey, dude, wake up," he said, this time louder. Again, the boy didn't move. Adam knew he was still alive - he was still breathing. Sometimes Damien couldn't wake up as he was just too tired. Adam decided to wait for his friend to wake up, so he leant against the wall. A knock at the door forced him to move though. The girl Damien had been looking at yesterday was standing there, her two animals by her feet.

"You don't have any paper and a pencil, do you?" She asked. Adam was caught off guard by her direct question that he just complied. "Thanks," she said and left. Adam went back upstairs. Damien had woken up while he's answered the door.

"Hey, dude," he said, nodding. Then he told her about how the girl had come to their door. Adam wasn't sure how he expected Damien to reply, but it wasn't like this:

"Where did you get paper from?" Adam didn't hesitate when he answered this question.

"I left my bag here yesterday. There was spare paper in there." Damien looked at his friend doubtfully, but didn't complain. This was a complete lie, but Damien didn't need to know that. "Get up or we'll miss all the fun. Maybe you could make out with that girl. She owes me for that paper." Damien rolled his eyes and muttered something along the lines of "I don't even know her name", though with much more colourful language. Adam started laughing. He dragged himself slowly out of bed, but he couldn't stand up.

"I'll get you your zimmer frame," Adam said, laughing even harder.

"Like hell you will."

xxXXxx

Felicity sat in the shade, drawing what she saw in her dream last night. It was a beast made of shadows and silver, and it had come towards her and some boy she didn't know until she'd woken up. She knew it was probably the construct of the events which had happened, coupled with the fear that Drake or Caine was going to come and hurt her.

She stretched out her hand to stroke the cat which had been following her and looked again at the beast which had tried to kill her. She really hoped the adults returned soon. She didn't think she'd be able to fight if the beast was actually real.


End file.
